Les Rosan: Can you feel the love tonight?

There has been a lot of talk recently about Miami Dolphins professional football player Richie Incognito who was suspended indefinitely by team officials on Nov. 3, 2013, for actions considered detrimental to the NFL organization. The suspension occurred after fellow Miami player Jonathan Martin left the team for unspecified reasons following a hazing incident in the team lunch room. The event leading to Martin’s departure has been described by numerous sources as the final straw for Martin who had endured a long-term pattern of intimidation and outright bullying. This pattern of behavior would have been unacceptable in the normal workplace, but within this NFL franchise organization it flourished perhaps because of a warped NFL culture that affixed a sense of normality to this practice.

Once Martin left the Dolphins it didn’t take long for the name of Richie Incognito to surface like some piece of cesspool flotsam as he was named the primary instigator in the intimidation directed against Martin.

Richie Incognito is a hulk of a man topping 6-fee, 3-inches and weighing in at 319 pounds with biceps that seem to be larger than the thighs of most mere mortal men. Incognito came to the Miami Dolphins with a documented history of violence, emotional outbursts, and outright instability. Unfortunately in the parallel universe that is the NFL, Incognito’s baggage actually may have bolstered his stature as an offensive lineman. There is nothing quite like an angry 319 pound, emotionally unstable individual to deter anyone intent on violently slamming into a quarterback hard enough to knock him silly and dislodge the football from his hands. As it was explained in the movie “The Blind Side,” Incognito’s sole responsibility during a game was to protect the quarterback. I would suspect that Incognito took his obligation seriously and because of this a history that includes violence, emotional instability, substance abuse, and racial intolerance was overlooked by his employer as minor character flaws.

At this juncture it would be best to cue up Elton John’s “Can you feel the love tonight?”, an award-winning song from the 1994 animated Disney movie, “The Lion King.” Richie Incognito was interviewed by Jay Glazer of Fox Sports on Nov. 9, in which he attempted to explain his relationship with Jonathan Martin. Prior to the interview I never would have grasped the deep emotional nature of the bond existing between Incognito and Martin as it was explained to Mr. Glazer. This special bond between best friends almost brought tears to my eyes.

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Here are just a few of Incognito’s statements from the Glazer interview, (admittedly out of context), as he explained his relationship with Jonathan Martin. A complete transcript of Glazer/Incognito interview can be found at the following website:

Incognito: You can ask anybody in the Miami Dolphins locker room who had Jon Martin’s back the absolute most. And they will undoubtedly tell you, me.

Incognito : When the words are put in the context, I understand why a lot of eyebrows get raised, but people don’t know how Jon and I communicate to one another.

Incognito: As the leader, as his best friend on the team, that’s what has me miffed — how I missed this. I never saw it. I never saw it coming.

Incognito: I think, honestly, I think I’d give him a big hug right now because we’ve been through so much and I’d just be like, ‘Dude, what’s going on?

Incognito: This is such a unique situation, but I just want to start by saying Jonathan Martin is my closest friend on the Miami Dolphins. He’s someone that I spent more time with on the field and off the field.

Incognito: Angry is not the word I’d use. I’m sorry because I never intended to hurt Jon. All of this coming out, speaks to the culture of our locker room, it speaks to the culture of our closeness; it speaks to the culture of brotherhood.

Incognito: I think the whole thing I could say, ‘It’s not even close.’ Jon and I had a close relationship. We’re friends. We were buddies.

Oooooh, isn’t that special? As Elton John continues to sing ever so softly in the background, drift away to that special place where you too may experience that unique locker room bond between best friends.

“ Can you feel the love tonight?”

“There’s a calm surrender to the rush of day

When the heat of a rolling wind can be turned away.

An enchanted moment, and it sees me through

It’s enough for this restless warrior just to be with you.”

(Composed by Elton John, lyrics by Tim Rice)

Okay, it is time for a bit of a reality check since Elton John walked off the stage in disgust. I do not believe there is any way that the following obscene and racially insensitive voice mail message from Incognito to his “best friend” could be deemed as normal and acceptable human interaction especially in a workplace environment, but what do I know? If this voice mail is representative of the “locker room culture” considered normal by the management of any NFL team, a change in the culture is long overdue:

The culture which may have guided Incognito actions continues. According to a statistical table published by USA Today, as of Nov. 10, a total of 50 NFL players have been arrested since the start of this year. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/nfl/arrests/

I actually remember a time when professional athletes were role models. When did it all go so wrong?

Can you feel the love tonight?

Les Rosan is a Morning Sun columnist. His e-mail is LRInvestigations@charter.net